Why Biden is restricting border crossings
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 10 January 2023
⏱️ 19 minutes
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Summary
President Biden promised a different approach to immigration than his predecessor, but he is still relying on some Trump-era tools. Today, a look at what Biden’s new strategy will mean for migrants and border communities.
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President Biden announced new immigration policies that would expand legal entry into the United States for thousands of migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti, while continuing to rely upon a controversial Trump-era policy that would block access for others.
These changes came ahead of this week’s North American Leaders’ Summit, where Biden and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts are discussing immigration and other top issues.
Arelis Hernandez, who covers the U.S. southern border and immigration, walks us through these new policies and how they would affect migrants and border communities.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | President Biden made a significant announcement last week. |
| 0:06.2 | Hey, everybody. |
| 0:08.2 | Sorry to keep you waiting for you. |
| 0:10.8 | What's going on? |
| 0:12.4 | About new immigration measures. |
| 0:14.6 | Today, my administration is taking several steps to stiffen enforcement for those who try |
| 0:19.0 | to come without a legal right to stay. |
| 0:22.4 | The approach he unveiled would expand entry to the U.S. for thousands of migrants. |
| 0:28.5 | And at the same time, it would continue to rely upon a controversial Trump-era policy |
| 0:34.6 | in order to block access for others. |
| 0:37.5 | Chaos and confusion is part and parcel of immigration enforcement policy and the border. |
| 0:44.0 | That's Arles Hernandez. |
| 0:45.5 | She covers immigration and the U.S. southern border for the post. |
| 0:49.8 | The Biden administration has been sort of towing this line in which they're trying to reverse |
| 0:55.2 | the policies of the Trump administration and trying to have more humanitarian welcoming |
| 1:00.7 | approach. |
| 1:02.5 | But is using some of the same tools that the Trump administration put in place to try |
| 1:08.1 | and limit the numbers of people who are coming across the border. |
| 1:12.6 | I mean, his administration sort of coincided with overwhelmed border patrol agents processing |
| 1:18.3 | centers that are running out of room, border communities that are at the end of their |
| 1:22.6 | wits in terms of being able to manage the large numbers of people. |
| 1:26.7 | It's just those things are colliding. |
... |
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